One year after City Council voted unanimously to deny permits for Portland General Electric to clearcut in Forest Park to build new power lines for data centers, the fight to defend our beloved urban forest from corporate greed is back.
Mayor Wilson’s Administration made a backroom deal with PGE to push through the company’s Harborton Project. PGE re-submitted their application, and the City is about to decide whether to grant it. Beyond the 4.7 acres this current proposal would log, PGE plans to clearcut more of Forest Park and extend the lines to power data centers in Hillsboro.
City Council will vote on whether to allow the pge’s logging in forest park sometime in mid to late December. So nice of them to schedule that for during the holiday season. City Council needs to hear that Portlanders oppose logging and development in forest park!
Protect forest park!
Ultimately, City Council is going to vote on whether to grant a land use permit and allow PGE to move ahead with this project. They need to hear from Portlanders that we vehemently oppose logging and new power line development in Forest Park!
It can be a short and simple message; the point is to make sure City Council knows that Portlanders are paying attention and will hold them accountable on this! Below is a sample email if it's helpful for inspiration. You can also find out more about the project and why it's a bad idea HERE and HERE. Not sure what City Council District you’re in, or who your Councilors are? Look it up HERE, and you can find their email addresses HERE.
What’s at stake for forest park?
If approved, PGE’s Harborton Project would clear-cut 5 acres of forest habitat that is critical for red-legged frogs and other protected species, while paving the way for PGE to continue clear-cutting over 15 additional acres in Forest Park.
● This section of forest is adjacent to the Harborton frog crossing and contains riparian habitat, heritage oaks, and mature forest stands. The rich diversity of this forest is critical habitat to the northern red-legged frog, which is listed by the state as a sensitive species and by the federal government as a species of concern.
● Future phases of the project could disrupt salmon habitat in the Miller Creek watershed
● Additionally, expansion of the powerline corridor threatens to exacerbate the spread of invasive species present in the existing clearcuts, which poses a threat to the local ecology and increases wildfire risk.
The project fails to comply with the Forest Park Natural Resources Management Plan (NRMP)
● The NRMP’s main goals for Forest Park are to 1) Let the forest grow into ancient forest and 2) Protect and enhance its recreational/educational value. PGE’s project is not in line with either of these goals. The project also fails to meet criteria in the management plan, including because there are viable alternate routes for the project outside of Forest Park.
This project is not for supporting energy needs of local communities, as PGE claims, but for supporting large tech companies like Intel on residential ratepayers’ dime.
● PGE is focused on expanding transmission and energy generation infrastructure to meet the demand of rapidly growing industrial facilities, such as Intel’s new $36 billion chip-making plant in Hillsboro, which would consume roughly as much electricity as 50,000 homes.
● According to PGE's schedule for load growth change, residential demand is projected to increase by only 3.5% between 2016-2025. Heavy industrial demand, on the other hand, has a projected increase of almost 150%.
● PGE has repeatedly raised energy costs for ratepayers while subsidizing energy costs for large tech industry facilities in Washington County’s Silicon Forest.
more info
There’s a ton more information and resources about PGE’s project available here on the Bird Alliance of Oregon’s website.
